First Evidence of Leatherback Movement from Africa to South America

BILLES A.,; FRETEY J., ; VERHAGE B., ; HUIJBREGTS B, ; GIFFONI B.,; PROSDOCIMI L., ; ALBAREDA D.A., ; GEORGES J.Y. ; TIWARI M.

MARINE TURTLE NEWSLETTER

Seaturtle.org

Año: 2006

0839-7708

Here we present the first evidence of trans-Atlantic migrations by female leatherbacks nesting in the eastern Atlantic, in Gabon, to western Atlantic waters. Gabon supports one of the largest leatherback nesting beaches in the world along with the Guianas and has an annual nesting population between 6,000 to 7,000 females on a 90-km beach in southern Gabon alone (unpublished data). Four leatherbacks flipper-tagged on the beaches of Gabon were recently recovered in the waters of Argentina and Brazil (Fig. 1). Tagging location and recapture location information as well the curved carapace length (CCL) measurement (from nuchal notch to tip of caudal peduncle along the crest of the midline vertebral ridge) at the nesting beach are provided below for each of the four leatherbacks: